Can pregnant women eat zongzi in the early stage?

I believe many people like to eat zongzi. Traditional zongzi only has glutinous rice and no stuffing inside, but nowadays zongzi has different flavors depending on the food culture of different places. Speaking of rice dumplings, in the past they could only be eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival or the Spring Festival, but now rice dumplings have become a commercial food circulated in markets everywhere without any geographical restrictions. Glutinous rice itself is a high-calorie food and difficult to digest, so can pregnant women eat rice dumplings in the early stages?

Pregnant women are not suitable for eating glutinous rice and high-calorie foods, so you can use your brain to think about the ingredients of zongzi, such as wrapping some whole grains, as well as red beans, sweet potatoes and other foods that are beneficial to pregnant women, and zongzi can also become healthy food. Due to different physical conditions, people with excessive stomach acid may feel uncomfortable and have heartburn when eating sweet rice dumplings. Eating salty meat rice dumplings may be slightly better, and eating a small amount of rice dumplings with more vegetables will also be better.

How can pregnant women eat Zongzi in the healthiest way?

1. Eat less

Zongzi is usually made of glutinous rice. Although it tastes good, it is very sticky and very difficult to digest. Especially for expectant mothers in the early stages of pregnancy, whose stomachs are relatively weak, eating too many rice dumplings can easily lead to indigestion, causing abdominal distension and pain, and also affect the intake of other nutrients. Therefore, it is best not to eat more than one per meal, and don’t eat it as a meal. Generally speaking, one large rice dumpling is enough for one small bowl of rice.

2. Don’t dip it in sugar

Nowadays, rice dumplings are very high-end, with meat, bean paste, egg yolk... all kinds of things being stuffed in them. As a result, they are high in fat, sugar and calories. If you are an overweight expectant mother, have high blood pressure during pregnancy, or have high blood sugar, it is best to avoid this diet. Even if you don't have these symptoms, it's best not to dip it in sugar.

3. Eat with

Zongzi can easily make people feel full, so be careful to eat less of it. It is best to eat it with other foods that aid digestion, such as vegetables high in fiber, or drink some red bean soup. If you are worried that rice dumplings are difficult to digest, expectant mothers can drink a cup of yogurt.

4. Don’t eat on an empty stomach

Eating rice dumplings on an empty stomach is harmful to your health. It takes at least 6 hours for food to be digested from the stomach to the intestines. Zongzi is difficult to digest. If you eat zongzi on an empty stomach, the glutinous rice will stay in the stomach for a long time, stimulating the secretion of gastric acid, which may cause a recurrence of chronic gastritis and esophagitis in patients with chronic gastritis.